_________________“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.”

"When these kind of matches happen you suffer, but I really enjoy these moments. I really enjoy suffering, because what's harder is when I am in Mallorca last year and I had to watch these kind of matches on the TV."

Canada's Eugenie Bouchard dropped just three games in a stunning win over world number one Serena Williams at the Hopman Cup in Perth.Bouchard, the world number six, won 6-2 6-1 in 50 minutes to give Canada an early lead over the United States in the mixed team event.Having required an on-court espresso to get her going in her opening match on Monday, Williams again looked sluggish."I don't know what's wrong with me, I'm so tired," said the 33-year-old."It's weird. I can't get my body to move. I feel like I've got no energy. It's a little frustrating because I know I can play two thousand times better."I've been trying to rest up. I did a little gym work, but I just felt depleted. I don't know why. I don't know how to describe it."I've just got to get my feet moving. I have to figure it out. Hopefully I can do better in the next match."The American will play Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic in her next singles match on Thursday.Bouchard enjoyed her first-ever win against Williams, and joked afterwards: "Maybe she needed another coffee.

_________________“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.”

"When these kind of matches happen you suffer, but I really enjoy these moments. I really enjoy suffering, because what's harder is when I am in Mallorca last year and I had to watch these kind of matches on the TV."

Eugenie Bouchard surprises many as the identity of her new coach is confirmed

Spoiler:

Canadian media sources have confirmed that Eugeneie Bouchard's new coach will be French coach Sam Sumyk. The announcement came as a shock to many as Sumyk has worked with Victoria Azarenka since 2010 and went to last months Australian Open with her. During his time with Azarenka, the Frenchman has guided her to two Grand Slam titles, 10 WTA titles (2011-2013) and to the number one posistion in the world. There has been no formal announcement regarding the split, however it seems almost certain now following the announcement of the new partnership between Bouchard and Sumyk. Prior to Azarenka, the experienced Sumyk also worked with Vera Zvonareva between 2006-2010.

According to journalist Stephanie Myles from Canadian news website Thestar.com, the two have already started working together. The pair was apparently spotted together during a training session at the National Tennis Centre in Montreal earlier this week.

Bouchard returns to the tour next week for the first time since her quarterfinal loss to Maria Sharapova at last months Australian Open. The Canadian will be the top seed at the WTA 2015 Proximus Diamond Games. She will be one of seven top 20 players playing at the tournament. Other entrants into the event includes Angelique Kerber, Andrea Petkovic, Lucie Safarova and Carla Suarez Navarro.

The is yet to be any official comment from Bouchard or Sumyk regarding the new coaching agreement.

_________________“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.”

"When these kind of matches happen you suffer, but I really enjoy these moments. I really enjoy suffering, because what's harder is when I am in Mallorca last year and I had to watch these kind of matches on the TV."

_________________“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.”

"When these kind of matches happen you suffer, but I really enjoy these moments. I really enjoy suffering, because what's harder is when I am in Mallorca last year and I had to watch these kind of matches on the TV."

MONTRÉAL, Canada - It was February 25, 1994, a cold Friday in Montréal, when one of the biggest young talents in women's tennis - and Canada's biggest talent ever - was coming into the world.

Eugenie Bouchard started playing at age six and by nine she was already playing tournaments.

"I started playing tennis when I was six and my mom took me and my twin sister to a local tennis club," Bouchard told wtatennis.com in her Getting To Know interview back in 2012. "I didn't really like it, though, as it was all games with balloons and hoops and I just wanted to play actual tennis. So my mom took me to start having group lessons, and a few years later I started entering tournaments. I began to take it seriously quite quickly, and when I was nine I qualified for a tournament in France."

It didn't take Bouchard long to leave her mark in the juniors, either, capturing the Wimbledon girls' title in 2012. She then burst onto the WTA scene in 2013, beginning the year at No.147 and finishing all the way up at No.32 in the world, being named the WTA Newcomer Of The Year at the WTA Awards.

But Bouchard wasn't satisfied. She had much, much bigger aspirations, and she certainly started fulfilling them in 2014, particularly at the Grand Slams - her relentlessly aggressive game took her all the way to the semifinals of the Australian Open and French Open and to the final of Wimbledon, the latter result making her the first Canadian, male or female, to reach a Grand Slam final. That run propelled her into the Top 10 for the first time and later in the year she would go as high as No.5, making her the first Canadian player, male or female, ever to reach the Top 5 in the world.

If there were any doubts about Bouchard following up such a breakthrough season, she silenced them at the Australian Open, where she reached her fourth quarterfinal in the last five Grand Slams.

She gave us all a glimpse into her tunnel vision when asked in Melbourne about following up 2014.

"I try to see it as just a new year," she said. "I'm not concerned about defending points from last year. To me it's 2015. I start at zero and try to do as well as I can. My past results don't mean anything when I'm going to walk out on the court tomorrow. I still have to fight and try to play as well as I can.

"I have great memories from last year, but it doesn't really mean anything to me this year."

How high can Bouchard go in 2015? Stay tuned on wtatennis.com for all the latest...

And here are a few throwbacks to February 25, 1994...No.1 song on Billboard Hot 100 singles: The Power Of Love by Céline Dion (also No.1 in Canada)No.1 album on Billboard 200 albums: Kickin' It Up by John Michael MontgomeryNo.1 movie at US Box Office: On Deadly Ground starring Steven SeagalNo.1 men's tennis player: Pete SamprasNo.1 women's tennis player: Steffi Graf

_________________“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.”

"When these kind of matches happen you suffer, but I really enjoy these moments. I really enjoy suffering, because what's harder is when I am in Mallorca last year and I had to watch these kind of matches on the TV."

Following up last season was never going to be easy for Eugenie Bouchard. And so it has proved.

The opening stanza of the 2015 campaign has seen Bouchard hit the first bump in the road in a hitherto serene journey up the tennis ranks.

A stellar junior career was followed by immediate success in the seniors, bringing semifinals at the Australian and French Opens, a headline-grabbing run to the final of Wimbledon and then qualification for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Bouchard took it all in her stride. In fact, rather than get carried away, the self-assured young Canadian seemed unsurprised at her early breakthrough.

After a strong performance - which included victory over World No.1 Serena Williams - at the Hopman Cup and a quarterfinal at the Australian Open, suggested that more was to follow. However, since then, it has been one setback after another, culminating in shock losses to qualifiers Lesia Tsurenko and Tatjana Maria at Indian Wells and Miami.

Now firmly ensconced in the Top 10, this fall from grace has been played out under the media spotlight. Bouchard, though, has not shirked any question, fronting up to the inevitable media grilling following another early exit, this time at the clay court curtain raiser in Charleston, with remarkable honesty.

"I know it won't all come overnight and it's not like as soon as you make a Slam final everything is easy after that and you're going to make the finals every week," Bouchard said. "It just doesn't work that way. So you gotta take the lows with the highs. So I'm just going to keep working hard and way till this low turns into a high.

"But really, I try to learn in the process and be patient, because I know I won't win every tournament. So I think patience is really important to me since I'm not very patient!"

Rather than shy away from competing while she acclimatizes to new coach Sam Sumyk, Bouchard, who is due to play at next week's Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, knows that matches are key.

"I have struggled a little bit physically lately. So everything is kind of just healing, but even if something doesn't hurt anymore, you know, you've had that lack of training, you've had that lack of match play," she said. "You've had that lack of, you know, just the feelings on the court is so off.

"So I think that's more where it's at, you know. Nothing is hurting, but it's more about getting back on court and getting used to match play."

As frustrating as it has been, Bouchard has adopted a philosophical outlook to these recent travails.

"I do expect big things, but I'm going to try to not put as much pressure on myself as I think I did at the end of last year, and I realize that you can't be perfect," Bouchard said in an interview with the Guardian. "That's something that Sam has been saying to me. And you will probably lose every week of the year, besides a couple weeks, hopefully. So I just need to realize that, and make sure I learn, and always try to get better.

"I'm going to expect great things, but also not put too much pressure on myself so that I don't enjoy it, because then it's not worth it. And I want to enjoy every little step. If I win a match, I want to enjoy that match, and not just think it's normal, you know? I actually won a match, and that's a really great thing. I'll try to enjoy the little things."

_________________“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.”

"When these kind of matches happen you suffer, but I really enjoy these moments. I really enjoy suffering, because what's harder is when I am in Mallorca last year and I had to watch these kind of matches on the TV."

_________________“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.”

"When these kind of matches happen you suffer, but I really enjoy these moments. I really enjoy suffering, because what's harder is when I am in Mallorca last year and I had to watch these kind of matches on the TV."

_________________“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.”

"When these kind of matches happen you suffer, but I really enjoy these moments. I really enjoy suffering, because what's harder is when I am in Mallorca last year and I had to watch these kind of matches on the TV."

For Eugenie Bouchard, a sun-buttered Wimbledon finalist last summer, these recent weeks have sometimes felt like a spiral into "pain and suffering". Such has been the Canadian's dispiriting form - she arrived back in England having lost nine of her last 10 matches - there have been moments this year when she has found herself doubting her game, as well as her decision to change her coach during the off-season.

And yet, as she disclosed in an exclusive interview with ESPN, when she does find her "level" again, any success will be "much more rewarding". To help with that process of rediscovery, she has been revisiting videos of her run to the final at the All England Club, to make a technical assessment of what she was doing well last summer, and also, you suspect, to remind herself of what she is capable of. Which is plenty - here is a 21-year-old who, in addition to finishing as the runner-up to Petra Kvitova at Wimbledon, also made the last four at the Australian Open and Roland Garros last season. That talent hasn't gone away.

"Have I learned a lot about myself during this time? Totally, and also a lot about life. I've learned that it's not a straight road to the top and there are going to be setbacks along the way," said Bouchard, who is playing at this week's Aegon Classic in Birmingham, after accepting a wildcard.

"You have to be patient and you have to keep believing in what you're doing. And keep believing in yourself, no matter what is happening. And then eventually you'll get there. That's what I have been trying to do, to keep working hard and trying to keep positive and trying to do the right thing. I'm hoping that it's going to turn around. Of course, I'm looking forward to hopefully getting my level back. If and when I do, it's going to be that much more rewarding as I'll know all the pain and suffering that has led to that moment, and everything that has gone into it."

What Bouchard hadn't appreciated, she said, was that she would have to go through a "a big period of adaptation" after changing coaches. Bouchard's partnership with Nick Saviano, who had coached her since she was 12-years-old, ended during the close-season. She turned to Sam Sumyk, who had been working with Victoria Azarenka. In addition, Bouchard has been adjusting to working with a new management company and a new fitness trainer. Much to deal with, amid all those destabilising defeats, and Bouchard said it hasn't always been easy to stay positive.

"I had an injury when I was out for a month and I hate being forced not to play. And I've had a couple of changes - including my coaching changes - and I didn't realise that I had to adapt. That was a big adaptation period and I didn't realise that I had to go through that. There were definitely moments when I wasn't sure whether I made the right decision. I wasn't sure about my game and I wanted to get those good feelings back," said Bouchard, who is also due to play in Eastbourne next week before then returning to Wimbledon.

And on top of those changes, there are the extra pressures and expectations that come from making a first grand slam final (an industry publication, Sports Pro magazine, regards her as the most marketable athlete in the world). There haven't been too many occasions this season when her fanbase, known as the Genie Army, have shown their appreciation in their customary way: with gifts of soft toys. After a first-round defeat at Roland Garros, she dropped out of the top 10.

Rewatching her matches from last summer's Wimbledon - and in particular her semi-final victory over Romania's Simona Halep - seems to have been beneficial. "I've recently looked back and seen how I was playing and what were the things that I was doing well. I've especially looked back at the semi-final match; that was a good one," said Bouchard. "I just love being at Wimbledon and I love the atmosphere, and I was just playing really good tennis there last summer. I wasn't thinking about the fact I was winning and doing so well. I was really staying in the moment, staying focused on each match and just doing my thing. I kept my head down and I wasn't focused on anything else apart from the tennis, and I think that helped."

Grass suits Bouchard's game. "I take the ball early. On grass, the ball bounces so low, and it's fast, and I like to play aggressive tennis," she said. Perhaps there have been some changes to her tennis this season - on all surfaces - but nothing too fundamental. She has remained an attacking player. "My new coach didn't want me to be so close to the baseline and also wanted me to put more spin on the ball. I think I've changed a few things. But they aren't big changes. I don't want to lose sight of who I am, and what kind of player I am, but I'm still going to keep my aggressive game from now on. I want to go back to playing how I was."

Like many others, Bouchard regards 33-year-old Serena Williams, who is now just two slams short of Steffi Graf's professional-era record of 22 majors, as the greatest female player of all time. "She has been so dominant over the course of a decade and she has consistently come back and won grand slams. The field is getting tougher and tougher, and she is still winning. That's amazing. Of course, those records from way back when are great, but it's now a different era . To be able to do this, in today's game, is unbelievable," said Bouchard. "I don't want to play for as long as she has. I won't play past 30. Why? I want to - I don't know - start a family, live life."

Once she finds her "level" again, Bouchard will surely achieve much in her 20s.

_________________“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.”

"When these kind of matches happen you suffer, but I really enjoy these moments. I really enjoy suffering, because what's harder is when I am in Mallorca last year and I had to watch these kind of matches on the TV."

_________________“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.”

"When these kind of matches happen you suffer, but I really enjoy these moments. I really enjoy suffering, because what's harder is when I am in Mallorca last year and I had to watch these kind of matches on the TV."

Q. Obviously tough coming back here with all the pressure. Did it feel like a lot of weight on you, knowing you had points to defend from last year? Did that add to the occasion of today?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I knew that was a little bit on my mind, for sure. I definitely felt tight in the first set. But I also felt very unprepared for this match. That's unfortunate.

But I wanted to play, no matter what.

Q. You mentioned that you were unprepared. What has been your physical condition leading up to today, and how did you feel out there today?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well, after Eastbourne, I mean, we did testing and I have a grade 2 tear in my ab.

Probably wouldn't have been smart to play here, but I couldn't pass on Wimbledon. So I did kind of minimal preparation to save myself for the match.

Q. Out there how did it feel?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I mean, I was taped. Felt okay. I was, you know, trying not to think about it. But, you know, I just haven't practiced that much. So I felt my timing was very off.

Q. Did you know much about her before going into the match?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: No, I knew nothing at all actually. I didn't know who she was. So, you know, my coach just talked to me a bit before the match about her. That was it.

Q. Were you aware that your bra strap caused concern for the umpire whether it was a violation of the dress code?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I was not aware of that at all. And no one told me anything about my bra.

Q. The loss today, because of the problems, the health problems, fitness problems, does it separate from some of the other losses you've had along the way?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, I feel like, you know, each time I had a loss, there were different reasons for each one. And today there was a different reason for this one.

It's unfortunate that it happened at my favorite tournament of the year, that I won't get to play any more matches here this year. But I'm going to try to put it behind me and look forward.

Q. What's the next step for you now?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: I'm going to take some time to heal and maybe not think about tennis for a little bit, then get right back to it.

Q. You mentioned earlier, under normal conditions, if this weren't the tournament that Wimbledon is, you wouldn't have been out there. What did you show yourself by battling through just to complete this match, given your physical condition?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: In my head, it was no question I was going to play, even though I was advised not to. It's just the way I am. It's so hard to be forced not to play tennis, especially at Wimbledon.

So, yeah, I was going out there to play, no matter what.

Q. How do you feel about making it through, completing the match, given that advice not to compete?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Well, I'm disappointed because I lost. And it was probably not the smartest decision. But I knew I had to do it, so there was that.

Q. Is there any part of you that is somewhat relieved now that this kind of stretch through Wimbledon, all the conversation is that you have to defend all the points, that this segment of the season is over, there may be a less pressure going forward for the rest of the season?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: In a way I'm going to be kind of happy to put this period behind me, for sure. Very disappointed in my last couple months.

So, you know, it has kind of been a stressful time, you know, these big tournaments that everyone was talking about to me, like you said.

So, yeah, I'm going to be looking forward to not having people ask me every single day about the points I have to defend. That will be nice.

Q. What is the timeframe for getting this right and also possibly at the same time preventing it from reoccurring ever, if you can?

EUGENIE BOUCHARD: Yeah, well, I'll see with doctors and stuff. I'm not exactly sure. But I'll definitely, you know, take the time necessary. There's definitely a longer break now. So I'll try to use that to my advantage.

_________________“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.”

"When these kind of matches happen you suffer, but I really enjoy these moments. I really enjoy suffering, because what's harder is when I am in Mallorca last year and I had to watch these kind of matches on the TV."